Places We Love
In honor of Valentine’s Day, our staff has compiled an addition to our ever-popular Places We Love series. The form and function vary from place to place, but across the board, these destinations occupy a special location in our hearts. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do, and we encourage you to share the love by telling us about some of your favorite places and spaces.
Machu Picchu, Peru – I had the pleasure of travelling to this marvel of architecture and engineering in January of 2016. While so much about this place is unknown, there is no questioning the skill of the Incas in building a spectacular village perched high in the Andes mountains. Beautiful stonework, countless agricultural and retention terraces that grow out from natural outcroppings, elegant houses and temple structures that are clustered around the site, majestic views, and llamas…what’s not to love? Jon Toonkel, Associate
St. Barths – In October of 2015 my wife Kuk-Ja and I were in St. Barths to celebrate our 25th Anniversary. We have traveled in the Caribbean quite a bit, but St. Barts is unlike any other place we have been. It is small, quaint, and somehow manages to feel unpretentious despite the exclusivity. Anywhere you go on the island you have wonderful views of the ocean. Clearly a place everyone should be lucky enough to visit at least once in their lifetime. Ted Houseknecht, Associate
Marble Quarries – What can I say, architects are weird. [Editor’s note: we prefer the term unconventional]. Craig Williams, Principal
Urban Parks – Some of my favorite places are urban parks. Within vibrant and exciting cities, they provide momentary relief from all of the hustle and bustle of urban life. Among these, London has some of the best. Whether they are small and surrounded by charming mansions in Belgravia, or vast like Hyde Park, there are endless nooks and crannies to explore. No matter the weather, there is always beauty to be found. Elena Roth, Staff Designer
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane – Rome, Italy. Designed by Borromini and completed in 1641, it is one of the most sublime and complex pieces of Baroque architecture on the planet! The “Quattro Fontane” refers to the four late Renaissance fountains that punctuate the intersection on which the church sits. Gregory Hoss, Principal
Piedmont Park – Piedmont Park, in my home state of Georgia, is a diverse cross section of both Atlanta and the American South and will always be a place I love. Whether in the city’s subtle fall and winter, exuberant spring, or endearingly miserable summer, the park, with its folds of landscape and skyscraper backdrop, provides a nostalgic rendezvous for memories of the friends and times that influenced my early life. Derek Marks, Staff Designer
Istanbul, Turkey – I love Istanbul because it is very unique. It is a mix between the Western world and the Orient. Hagia Sophia is a perfect example of that. A church converted to a mosque, it is now a museum that hosts both Islam and Christianity together. The city has a very beautiful architecture and intriguing topography, situated on both sides of the Bosporus. The food is great and the people are welcoming. – Kal Yordanov, Staff Designer
Hestercombe Gardens – Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens with Gertrude Jekyll. Lutyens is one of my favorite architects and my wife Karen and I had the opportunity to travel to southwest England a few years ago to see some of his works. Karen is an avid gardener, so here was one place to visit that had something for us both. A wonderful marriage of order, spatial progression, beautiful plants, water, colors and textures. There are even extraordinary vistas into the surrounding countryside. Steve Knight, Associate
Parchment 
I love the inclusion of the marble quarry. I am not an architect, but have a fascination for stone cutting for buildings in general. Limestone buildings! The colors represented here by the marble are amazing.